National team coaches named
SANTPOORT (Neth.) - Recently appointed national team-managerRobert Eenhoorn named Brian Farley and Eric de Bruin to his coaching staff to serve as his Pitching Coach and Batting Coach. As of this moment Farley is the only member of this years coaching staff to return.

American-born Brian Farley (pictured left) becomes the national team's Pitching Coach to succeed Bernie Beckman. Farley came to The Netherlands in 1988 to play and coach for RCH, with whom he stayed for five seasons. He then became Head Coach of Twins in 1993 and promoted with this team in his first season to the Dutch Majors. After four years, he switched from coach back to player and returned to RCH to play one more season. In 1998, Farley was named Head Coach of HCAW and guided the team to the Dutch championship in his first season. This year, Farley captured the CupWinners Cup with HCAW and resigned after the season. In 1997, Farley was added to the coaching staff of the Dutch national team to replace Huub Kohl, who was unable to travel with the team to the European Championships in Paris. In May of this year, Farley, who turned 40 on Thursday, was named to the coaching staff of then-newly appointed Dutch squad manager Pat Murphy and served as the Third Base Coach. Farley, a former pitcher, played professionaly for five seasons in the organization of the St. Louis Cardinals, before starting a career in both Australia and The Netherlands. After three years, Farley remained in The Netherlands and later married former national softball team-player Gonny Reijnen, who was the Head Coach of the HCAW-women softball team the last few years.

Former national team player Eric de Bruin (pictured right) will make his debut as coach and will serve as the team's Hitting Coach. In 1982 then-outfielder Eric de Bruin made his debut in the highest league as a player of Sparta and switched to another Rotterdam-team for the 1987 season, Neptunus, with whom he had his most successful seasons. In twelve seasons with this team he went on to celebrate three national championships and captured seven different European Cups. After a few seasons De Bruin moved from the outfield to first base and went on to become a solid position player. From 1986-1996 he was a member of the Dutch national team and also served as its team captain. De Bruin played in 106 official national team-games and participated in the 1988 (Seoul, Korea) and 1996 (Atlanta, USA) Olympics. After the 1998 season, De Bruin returned to Sparta, the club where he started his career. At the end of the 2000 season, the lefthanded hitting De Bruin retired as a player after nineteen years in the big league, appearing in 654 games and finishing with a .335 career batting average. The 36-year old De Bruin was a fill-in coach with the national team during a pre-Olympic exhibition game against Taiwan in August.

Robert Eenhoorn new national team-manager
SANTPOORT / ROTTERDAM (Neth.) - Former Major Leaguer Robert Eenhoorn (pictured left) has been named the new manager of the Dutch national baseball-team for the next four years through the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (Greece). Eenhoorn succeeds American Pat Murphy, who guided the team during the Haarlem Baseball Week and the Olympic Games. Earlier in the year American Murphy was named interim-manager for Jan Dick Leurs. Eenhoorn is planning to name his coaching staff soon. Next year, he combines his managerial duties for the national team with being the head coach of Rotterdam-based Dutch champion Neptunus. The Dutch squad participates next year in the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam (The Netherlands), the European Championships in Bonn (Germany) and the World Championships in Taiwan.
Eenhoorn, 32, retired as a player at the end of this season, completing his national team-career during the Olympic Games in Sydney (Australia). Last year, Eenhoorn returned to the national team, which then captured the European title in Italy. Eenhoorn played in 73 official national team-games from 1986-1989 and in 1999-2000.
In August 1998 Eenhoorn returned to The Netherlands after a nine-year professional career in the United States where he played in the organizations of the New York Yankees, Anaheim Angels and New York Mets. With the Yankees and Angels he reached the Major League, playing in 37 big league-games. In 1990 Eenhoorn started his professional career and on April 27, 1994 became the third-ever Dutch born-and-raised player to make his Major League-debut, when he was a pinch-hitter for the New York Yankees. After his return to The Netherlands, he was added to the coaching-staff of Neptunus, the Rotterdam-based team where he started his career. In 1999 and 2000, Eenhoorn combined his playing as a short stop with coaching the team of Neptunus, leading them to this years national championship. Earlier in the season, Neptunus won the European Cup, after winning the CupWinners Cup in 1999.
(November 6)Nederlandse tekstBack to Headline Index

KNBSB Fall Meeting Notes
NIEUWEGEIN (Neth.) - On Saturday, the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB) held its annual Fall Meeting. On it two important proposals were being approved by the member clubs.
One was the approval of reducing the current four districts to three regions next season. In 1992, the KNBSB decided to change it format by installing four Districts replacing the then-existing nine so-called Rayons. Now, nine years later, the four Districts will be replaced by three Regions, to be named North, Central and South.
Another approval was the first step which much lead to a future separation between the top and other divisions of the baseball and softball sports in The Netherlands. At next years Spring Meeting in March, the Executive Council of the Dutch Association has to present a plan, which will call for a Board for Topsport Baseball and Softball, a Board for the sports in general and an Executive Board which will oversee all activities of the KNBSB.
(November 21)Nederlandse tekstBack to Headline Index

Site welcomes 50.000th visitor!
AMSTERDAM (Neth.) - This site, Grand Slam - Stats & News, welcomed its 50.000th visitor on Tuesday, November 21. It also was the 28.000th visitor in less than a year, setting a new site record.
Grand Slam - Stats & News opened on November 27, 1997 and attracted 10.000 visitors in its first year. In the second year (November 1998-November 1999) 12.000 visitors came along. Now, in the almost completed third year on the Web, 28.000 additional visitors were added to the total, setting a site-record and reaching the 50.000 mark.
The 50.000th visitor was registered on Tuesday-evening, November 21, 2000, at 10:04 PM.
The webmaster thanks all visitors and hopes you will return frequently!
(November 21)Nederlandse tekstBack to Headline Index

RCH to remain in big league
SANTPOORT / HEEMSTEDE (Neth.) - RCH will play in the Dutch big league next season after all, as it was granted permission by the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB), therefore bringing the total of teams back to ten.
A few weeks ago, RCH was not given permission to play on its home field next season as the club was unable to set a date for installing artificial lights. It appeared that RCH was planning to withdraw its team from the highest league, when the club announced a proposal to let the team play as part of DSS, a Haarlem-based club which plays in the Pim Mulier Stadium. The move was denied as there was no official merger between the two clubs. On the recently held Fall Meeting of the Dutch Association, other Dutch Major League clubs asked the Executive Board to review the situation and give RCH another year of dispensation to use its home field. This was granted, giving RCH the opportunity to discuss the possibility of installing artificial lights with the Municipality of Heemstede. Also, RCH announced it will install the RCH Topsport Foundation, which is eligible to merge next year with DSS, if needed. But for now, RCH, its board and its players are happy to be able play again and re-join the league next season. ,,We're happy'', reacted Chairman Chris de Vries.
(December 2)Nederlandse tekstBack to Headline Index

Best Players 2000 honoredEenhoorn, Gouverneur, Anasagasti MVP; Eenhoorn, Berk Best Coach
NOORDWIJKERHOUT (Neth.) - The best players of the 2000 baseball and softball season were honored on Saturday-evening, December 9, at Noordwijkerhout.Robert Eenhoorn of Neptunus won two awards and became the first to win both the Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year Award. Sandra Gouverneur of Terrasvogels was named the Softball Women MVP, while Luigi Anasagasti of Alphians won the honor as Softball Men MVP. Former national team-player Ingeborg Berk-Cleeren was named Softball Coach of the Year.Robert Eenhoorn, who retired as an active player after the season, guided Neptunus as a player and as coach to both the Dutch Play-Offs and the European Cup. He hit .335, had 35 RBI's and made only seven errors as a short stop. After the regular season, Neptunus went on to become the Dutch champion. Recently, Eenhoorn was named the new national team manager.Sandra Gouverneur batted .385 with 24 RBI's and scored 23 Runs in leading Terrasvogels into the Dutch Play-offs. The team went on to become the Dutch champion for the third year in a row.Luigi Anasagasti led the league in hitting with a .468 average and hits with 36 and had the second best total of RBI's with 32 in leading Alphians to the Dutch Play-Offs. In this semi-final the team was eliminated for the Dutch title. Next year, Anasagasti will play for Thamen.Ingeborg Berk-Cleeren won the Best Softball Coach Award for leading the Dutch national junior-team to this years European Championship at Enschede.

In other awards, Patrick Beljaards (Kinheim) was named Best Baseball Pitcher with an 11-2 record, while Maaike Zijlstra (Terrasvogels) won the Best Softball Pitcher Award after winning 20 games this season. Martin Holmberg (Storks) was named Best Softball Men Pitcher after winning 17 games and losing only one.
Reliever Ferenc Jongejan, who served as the national teams closer during the Olympics, won the Guus van der der Heijden Memorial Trophy for the best international player under 23 years. Jongejan played for Pioniers this season, but next year will play for Neptunus. The Egbert van der Sluis Memorial Trophy for best softball-international under 23 was not awarded this year.

Former national team-coach Cees Herkemij won this years In Memoriam Leen Volkerijk Award for his contribution to player development over the years. Herkemij, who also was a longtime clubcoach and founded the Dutch Baseball School, last served as the national teams Business Manager and Commissioner.
The Nol Houtkamp Award for longtime contribution to softball player development this year went to Jan and Ria van der Molen, for their longtime involvement with softball youth especially in the eastern region of the country and with the Tex Town Tigers-club.
A total of 24 awards or trophies were presented to the best of 2000. The best baseball and softball umpires will be honored next February.Complete list of award winners 2000
(December 9)Nederlandse tekstBack to Headline Index

Jongejan signs with Cubs
ROTTERDAM (Neth.) - Reliever Ferenc Jongejan will play in the USA instead of Rotterdam next year, as he signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs. In 2001, Jongejan was to be the closer for Dutch champion Neptunus.
This season, the 22-year old lefthander played for Hoofddorp Pioniers but switched to Neptunus before the November 1 deadline. With Pioniers, he appeared in eleven games as both a starter and reliever and finished with a 2-0 record and a 2.05 ERA. After the regular season, he made his debut in the national team and was used as a closer during the Olympic Games in Sydney.
Last Saturday, Jongejan won the Guus van der Heijden Memorial Trophy as the best national team-player under 23 years old.
(December 11)Nederlandse tekstBack to Headline Index